The upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix is crucial for the future of the Red Bull second driver Sergio Perez. The Mexican has failed to make final qualifying at the last four Formula One weekends and his form in terms of points scored has been bettered by Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton since the early season race in Miami.
Yet despite Checo’s desperate performances Red Bull are marching towards a season of historic records. The team equalled McLaren’s all time record of consecutive wins last time out in Silverstone and were either Verstappen or Perez to win in Hungary the twelve in a row victories will eclipse McLaren’s 1988 efforts.
2 drivers can stop Verstappen
With the mid-point of the season coming in Budapest, the notion that Red Bull could claim wins at all 22 events of this year is still an unlikely achievement even for this uber dominant F1 team and world champion driver.
Speaking to the Independent, 1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill observes: “Winning every race in a season is something that nobody has ever achieved.”
“They [Red Bull] will keep saying no to it, but they would love to do it. My experience says that there are two drivers who are going to prevent it: Fernando or Lewis will win again.”
Lewis Hamilton has been enjoying a recent improvement in form and is comfortably ahead of his team mate who is driving the same machinery. Meanwhile Fernando Alonso has maximised everything Aston Martin have given him and with Lance Stroll merely scoring around 40% of the Spaniard’s points, Alonso is carrying the charge to Mercedes in the championship single handed.
Max winning run will create tension
Despite Hill highlighting these two drivers as the most likely to spoil the Red Bull clean sweep of 2022 race wins party, Damon concedes that its not beyond the bounds of probability that Verstappen could claim the remaining twelve F1 races for himself.
“If they don’t win, Max could take, frankly, all the victories that remain,” Hill suggested.
“It would be an incredible achievement for him and Red Bull and it would also add a lot of tension to the last few races of the season.”
Another F1 champion Nico Rosberg who famously beat Hamilton during an ill tempered season in 2016 believes for Red Bull to win all the races this year it will require Sergio Perez to find a way back from his current driving woes.
De Vries manager threatens legal action
Rosberg: Perez the problem
Speaking to German media outlet Marca, Rosberg explains Red Bull need Perez to show up to help create a historic season.
“The difficulty is that, for the moment, they only have one driver who can win all the races. The other one is always behind with many difficulties,” said Rosberg.
“That’s why it will be more difficult for them, but it’s still possible. But that’s going to have to be a lot of races for Verstappen.”
With history in the making Rosberg believes Formula One is watching a rare event where one driver is so far ahead of the field he is making his contemporary ex-world champions look ordinary.
Verstappen an F1 great
“For me he is going to be at the level of the most important names in history,” claimed the former Mercedes driver citing the legends of Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna.
“He is a phenomenon and the team has also given him a very good car – the best car.
With the exception of Daniel Ricciardo who competed well with Verstappen during their time together at Red Bull, Rosberg notes his Verstappen has ‘destroyed’ the rest who have been placed alongside him.
FIA president stamps his authority
Rosberg empathises with Perez
Now the same is happening to Perez, “who is a good driver and I know him well,” continued Rosberg.
“But it’s impossible for him to be close to Max and that’s so difficult mentally, to accept that the other guy is better.”
Rosberg claims some empathy with Perez citing his own struggles with Lewis Hamilton, yet Nico did get close to the British team mate and defeat him to an F1 title – something Perez looks incapable of doing.
In terms of winning all the remaining races, there is a high probability that Verstappen will encounter difficulties beyond his driving control. A failed component on the car, wheelman which fails during a pitstop, or even a start line ambush from behind which takes the world champion out of contention for that race.
Verstappen needs a wing man
And this is why Rosberg believes it is only Sergio Perez who is rarely there to pick up the pieces should Verstappen fail, be the one to spoil the Red Bull party of a season’s clean sweep of race wins.
While records continue to tumble there are those who believes Verstappen’s uber dominance is bad for the sport. Rosberg argues the opposite is true.
“Some will say that he’s not good for F1, because it’s always the same one winning,” Rosberg mused. “But sometimes it is a good thing.
“Behind him, there’s a lot of spectacle. At Silverstone we had two McLarens suddenly behind, which is good. You never know who will be second now.”
Hope for Ricciardo in Hungary
The twists and turns between McLaren, Mercedes, Aston Martin and Ferrari who have all started races alongside Verstappen at the front is as Rosberg claims engrossing.
Further, the F1 back stories like the return of Ricciardo to racing in Hungary means while Max is over the hills and far away, the competition amongst the rest is fierce.
Ricciardo can take hope from his new team mate Yuki Tsunoda that his back of the grid new team may fair a little better this weekend in Budapest.
The Japanese driver believes the twists and turns of the Hungaroring will suit the struggling AlphaTauri and may even claim a points scoring position.
READ MORE: 3 teams rumoured in breach of cost cap
Chaos 💥 at 💥 the 💥 start #HungarianGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/GPLOSk596H
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 19, 2023
